# So how does being a boring eater work? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2013, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926 "2013-03-25T16:24:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/41 "2013-03-26T01:31:36Z")
I hate when my wife will look up the menu of a new restaurant online. I don’t even want to know what’s on the menu before I go. I will always find something that sounds yummy and usually I’m right. I have always like my eggs really cooked. Two Christmas’ ago I had a dish at a restaurant that had a runny egg on it, discovered it was pretty good. Turned to wife the other day and told her I might be ready to try eggs benedict. I’m in my 40"s and hope to never lose the adventurous spirit. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/42 "2013-03-26T01:45:15Z")
> [@bump](#): > > After reading a bunch of threads about various ethnic foods and various polls asking about what we’d be willing to eat, it’s come out that a large chunk of the population is very unadventurous when it comes to food. As in, someone in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=686101) mentioned an acquaintance who said that “Pizza Hut was too exotic to eat at.” > > What I don’t understand is how that thought process works. It’s completely and utterly foreign to me. I grew up in a house that wasn’t the most adventurous, but wasn’t entirely fixed on one or two dishes. When I saw the outside of the cave, as it were (prodded and aided by an adventurous Aunt of mine), there was no going back. I realized there was a big world of all sorts of strange and wonderful dishes, foods and ingredients, and I wanted to try them all. > > Yet I know people who when faced with terrific Tex-Mex order a burger, or who go to Italy on vacation and say the food wasn’t very good. > > How does this work? It just doesn’t compute. Is it a taste thing, a risk aversion thing, a texture thing, or something else entirely? is it really that hard to understand that other people have different priorities? some people see food as little more than sustenance while they go about the things which are actually important to them. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/43 "2013-03-26T01:52:28Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > is it really that hard to understand that other people have different priorities? some people see food as little more than sustenance while they go about the things which are actually important to them. That’s not what everyone in the thread is saying, though, so it **isn’t** that simple. It’s an apparently honest request about why different people may eat very bland/very similar food repeatedly. Is it being a supertaster who finds too many foods bitter, is it food phobias, a holdover from being a picky eater as a child, an utter disinterest in food flavor? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/44 "2013-03-26T02:20:04Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > That’s not what everyone in the thread is saying, though, so it **isn’t** that simple. It’s an apparently honest request about why different people may eat very bland/very similar food repeatedly. Is it being a supertaster who finds too many foods bitter, is it food phobias, a holdover from being a picky eater as a child, an utter disinterest in food flavor? what does it matter what someone else eats? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/45 "2013-03-26T03:14:34Z")
> [@hotflungwok](#): > > Comfort zone. They don’t want to leave it. They’re satisfied with what they have, and their perceived risk of ‘not liking something’ overrides any sense of curiosity. That’s it for me, and also the emotions I have tied up in food. I need food to be consistent and faithful to me because I count on that – and I get high on knowing what I will have and having it deliver what I expected. Something being different from expectations ruins my whole time. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/46 "2013-03-26T03:18:17Z")
I am actually somewhat less interested in food now that I no longer eat out regularly. That, in turn, is a function of not being near New York anymore. There’s good food in many places, but once you’ve spent time in NY, you don’t appreciate it as much elsewhere. Now if it weren’t for late-night stuff like cookies, potato chips and beer, I would be dropping some serious weight, rather than just finding my pants an eeensy bit looser. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/47 "2013-03-26T03:28:52Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what does it matter what someone else eats? It doesnt - “to each their own”, and all that. It’s just curiosity on my part- I’m a pretty adventurous guy when it comes to food and things in general. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone to the store and come back with something and said to my wife “I don’t know what it is, and it seemed kind of weird, so I figured I’d try it.” When your thought processes work like that, the idea of not being willing to try something new for fear of getting something you don’t like is just absolutely, completely and utterly foreign to me. Hence the question. I figure if it does suck (and I’ve had things that do suck, like Bun bo Hue), I can always grab a burger on the way home. I can afford it, I won’t go hungry, and nobody’s making me eat it, so no harm, no foul. It’s a lot like asking women out on dates; they say no, big freakin’ deal. There are literally millions of eligible women in my age range (or would be, if I wasn’t married). Oh, and **Aruvqan** I know that a LOT of “American” food is really German in origin. Hell, Brother-in-Law is from a family descended from German immigrants to Iowa. Yet I think getting him to sit down in front of a jager schnitzel, red cabbage and German potato salad would be a big stretch. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/48 "2013-03-26T03:37:57Z")
i ate a boring once. it was good. it was cheese ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/49 "2013-03-26T11:06:44Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > what does it matter what someone else eats? What does it matter what someone reads or watches on TV or plays on their video game console? Might as well shut down Cafe Society and the Game Room, right? It’s just curiosity. Besides, learning about different reasons for eating the same thing can open up people’s eyes, reduce their irritation with others, and even suggest ways to help those “boring-eaters” who aren’t averse to trying other things under certain circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![diggerwam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/919ad9/32.png) [@diggerwam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggerwam)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/50 "2013-03-26T11:19:34Z")
Calling food sustenance is like calling your home, shelter and your job simply a place you earn money. Your quality of life is so much better when those things mean more. It’s nice to enjoy your house and your job. The car you drive is just transportation. If you are satisfied with a bland diet, more power to you, but I wouldn’t date someone like that. Might as well just have Bachelor Chow. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/51 "2013-03-26T12:58:24Z")
> [@diggerwam](#): > > Calling food sustenance is like calling your home, shelter and your job simply a place you earn money. . I’ve never had a job that was anything other than a way to earn money. My day begins when I leave work. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/52 "2013-03-26T13:54:21Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > That’s it for me, and also the emotions I have tied up in food. I need food to be consistent and faithful to me because I count on that – and I get high on knowing what I will have and having it deliver what I expected. Something being different from expectations ruins my whole time. How adventurous are you in other ways? Are you a big comfort-zone person in general, or is this just one area that you’re not terribly adventurous in? Do you travel much, or do you stay home? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/53 "2013-03-26T14:22:52Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > Would they even speak my language? Would they even like tourists? It sounds like you have a lot of anxieties about things that are not necessarily food-based. But then that seems to be one of the underlying issues – anxiety. I don’t have anxiety about not knowing what I’m going to eat, because, in the end, there’s no risk for me. If I discover something new that I’ve liked, then I’ve gained something. If I have a meal I didn’t like … eh, who cares? It’s not a big problem to have to spend a meal eating something I don’t like. > [@jz78817](#): > > what does it matter what someone else eats? > [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > What does it matter what someone reads or watches on TV or plays on their video game console? Yes, and also, human beings are social creatures and eating is a social activity. We are evolved to obtain and consume food in groups. When a member of the group has trouble participating, then it interferes with social cohesion. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/54 "2013-03-26T14:25:25Z")
> [@bump](#): > > How adventurous are you in other ways? Are you a big comfort-zone person in general, or is this just one area that you’re not terribly adventurous in? Do you travel much, or do you stay home? I am amazingly risk-averse. The idea of travel is nice in theory but in practice it’s just fraught with stress and worry. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/55 "2013-03-26T18:29:11Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I worked with a guy who explained that he just got no pleasurable reaction from the taste of food. Food just tasted ordinary to him, no matter what it was, and he didn’t have any interest in trying new things. > [@elfkin477](#): > > If you don’t really care for food, being adventurous isn’t particularly rewarding. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > But I think that’s it for a lot of people. Eating is just a necessary task to fuel the body. They go out for the companionship of friends but aren’t getting anything from the food itself. Asking why they don’t eat different things is, to them, like asking if they get bored always putting the same gas in their car. “Don’t you ever just have an urge to go to Shell instead of Chevron, just for something different?” Are we talking about two or more different things here? There are the people who don’t get pleasure from food and thus don’t feel the need to try anything new. And there are the people who suffer distress from the worry of not liking what they might get or revulsion at the idea of having to “choke down” something they don’t like. And then there are the people who just don’t like to have their expectations unmet. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/56 "2013-03-26T19:04:20Z")
On of my favorite games is to go to a new restaurant, open the menu, and just order the first thing I see. What makes it even more fun is that I’ve been doing quite a bit of international travel for work so I get to play the game in places where I can’t even read the menu anyhow. I’ve never been disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/57 "2013-03-26T20:16:49Z")
Having never had much, money is kind of important to me and I hate to waste it on a meal I don’t like. So generally I’ll get something that I know I’ll like – and then sample different stuff from other people’s entrees. Maybe I find something else good without risking my dinner money. Win/win. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/58 "2013-03-26T20:38:14Z")
I find myself straddling the line. On the one hand, if I enjoy a certain food, I don’t get bored with it. I’d have no problem eating the same meal every day if it’s something I liked the first time. So I could see myself being the kind of person who always goes to the same restaurant and orders the same item on the menu. But I realize that in order for me to find a food I like every time I eat it at some point I have to eat it for the first time. So I sometimes intentionally choose to pass over a restaurant I know or a meal I always order just to try something I haven’t had before. In a lot of cases, I find I preferred my original choice. But in some cases, I’ve found new things I liked better than my old standbys and which could now become my new standbys. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/59 "2013-03-27T01:44:17Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It sounds like you have a lot of anxieties about things that are not necessarily food-based. > > But then that seems to be one of the underlying issues – anxiety. I don’t have anxiety about not knowing what I’m going to eat, because, in the end, there’s no risk for me. If I discover something new that I’ve liked, then I’ve gained something. If I have a meal I didn’t like … eh, who cares? It’s not a big problem to have to spend a meal eating something I don’t like. Heaven forbid a doctor prescribe you something for anxiety nowdays and turn you into one of those drug addicts living in cardboard boxes, but yes, I do have issues with anxiety. The risk for me is trying something and not liking it, I’ve usually wasted time, money, and a chance to get a Whopper w/ cheese that I do like. Why risk it? I don’t necessarily go for bland stuff, I put hot peppers on Subway, hot sauce on Taco Bell, etc. I’m just not going to order something I don’t know if I like or not. At least I’m not that particular about American food- crème cheese and custard are the only two things I will plain not eat. ---
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926/60 "2013-03-27T02:09:52Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Big Kahuna! 😃 Is that the Hawaiian place? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-being-a-boring-eater-work/653926.md?page=4)